History of Louise Glück in Timeline

Louise Glück (1943-2023) was a highly acclaimed American poet and essayist, celebrated for her profound exploration of individual experience through an "unmistakable poetic voice". She was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, in addition to the Pulitzer Prize, National Humanities Medal, National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Bollingen Prize. Glück also served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2003 to 2004, solidifying her legacy as a major figure in contemporary poetry.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

December 1900: Glück's Grandparents Emigrated

In December 1900, Louise Glück's paternal grandparents, Terézia (née Moskovitz) and Henrik Glück, emigrated from Hungary to the United States.

1901: Founding of the Nobel Prize

In 1901, the Nobel Prize was founded. Louise Glück would become the sixteenth female laureate since the prize was founded, in October 2020.

April 22, 1943: Louise Glück's Birth

On April 22, 1943, Louise Elisabeth Glück was born. She would later become a celebrated American poet and essayist.

Others born on this day/year

1945: Birth of Sister Tereze

In 1945, Louise Glück's younger sister, Tereze, was born.

1961: Graduation and Focus on Rehabilitation

In 1961, Louise Glück graduated from George W. Hewlett High School and was taken out of school to focus on her rehabilitation and psychoanalytic treatment.

1962: Start of Poetry Collection

In 1962, poems were collected in Louise Glück's "Poems: 1962–2012".

1963: Enrolled in Poetry Workshops

In 1963, Louise Glück enrolled in poetry workshops at Columbia University's School of General Studies, where she studied with Léonie Adams and Stanley Kunitz.

1966: End of Poetry Workshops

In 1966, Louise Glück concluded her participation in poetry workshops at Columbia University's School of General Studies.

1967: Marriage to Charles Hertz Jr.

In 1967, Louise Glück married Charles Hertz Jr.

1968: Publication of Firstborn

In 1968, Louise Glück published her first collection of poems, Firstborn, receiving some positive critical attention.

1971: Started Teaching at Goddard College

In 1971, Louise Glück began teaching poetry at Goddard College in Vermont, which she credited with curing her writer's block.

1973: Birth of Son, Noah

In 1973, Louise Glück gave birth to a son, Noah, with her partner, Keith Monley.

1975: Publication of The House on Marshland

In 1975, Louise Glück published her second book, The House on Marshland, regarded by many critics as her breakthrough work.

1977: Marriage to John Dranow

In 1977, Louise Glück married John Dranow, an author who had started the summer writing program at Goddard College.

1980: Co-founded New England Culinary Institute

In 1980, John Dranow, Louise Gluck's husband, co-founded the New England Culinary Institute with Francis Voigt. Glück and Bryant Voigt were early investors.

1980: Publication of Descending Figure

In 1980, Louise Glück's third collection, Descending Figure, was published. Also in 1980, a fire destroyed Glück's house in Vermont.

1984: Joined Williams College Faculty

In 1984, Louise Glück joined the faculty of Williams College in Massachusetts as a senior lecturer in the English Department.

1985: Publication of The Triumph of Achilles

In 1985, Louise Glück's award-winning work, The Triumph of Achilles, was published. The collection was described as "clearer, purer, and sharper" than Glück's previous work.

1990: Publication of Ararat

In 1990, Louise Glück published Ararat, a collection of poems prompted by the loss of her father.

1992: Publication of The Wild Iris

In 1992, Louise Glück published The Wild Iris, a collection featuring garden flowers in conversation about the nature of life.

1993: Pulitzer Prize for The Wild Iris

In 1993, Louise Glück won the Pulitzer Prize for The Wild Iris, solidifying her reputation as a preeminent American poet.

1994: Publication of Proofs & Theories: Essays on Poetry

In 1994, Louise Glück published a collection of essays called Proofs & Theories: Essays on Poetry.

1995: Iowa Short Fiction Award for Sister Tereze

In 1995, Louise Glück's younger sister, Tereze, won the Iowa Short Fiction Award for her book, May You Live in Interesting Times.

1996: Divorce and Publication of Meadowlands

In 1996, Louise Glück's marriage to John Dranow ended in divorce. Also in 1996, she published Meadowlands, a collection of poetry about love and the deterioration of a marriage.

1999: Publication of Vita Nova

In 1999, Louise Glück published a collection of poetry, Vita Nova.

1999: Consultant to the Library of Congress

In 1999, Louise Glück was asked to serve as a special consultant to the Library of Congress for that institution's bicentennial. Also in 1999, she was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

September 11, 2001: September 11th Terrorist Attacks

On September 11, 2001, the terrorist attacks occurred, which later influenced Louise Glück's work, October.

2001: Publication of The Seven Ages

In 2001, Louise Glück published another collection of poetry, The Seven Ages.

2003: Poet Laureate of the United States

In 2003, Louise Glück was appointed Poet Laureate of the United States, a position she held until 2004.

2003: Judge of the Yale Series of Younger Poets

In 2003, Louise Glück was appointed the judge of the Yale Series of Younger Poets.

2003: Reflection on Firstborn

In 2003, critic Stephanie Burt reflected on Louise Glück's first poetry collection "Firstborn" and said the collection "revealed a forceful but clotted poet, an anxious imitator of Robert Lowell and Sylvia Plath".

2004: Poet Laureate of the United States

In 2004, Louise Glück concluded her service as Poet Laureate of the United States, a role she began in 2003.

2004: Publication of October and Rosenkranz Writer in Residence

In 2004, Louise Glück published a chapbook entitled October in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks. That same year, she was named the Rosenkranz Writer in Residence at Yale University.

2005: End of Term as Chancellor of Academy of American Poets

In 2005, Louise Glück's post as Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets concluded, a role she started in 1999.

2006: Publication of Averno

In 2006, Louise Glück published a poetry book titled Averno.

2009: Publication of A Village Life

In 2009, Louise Glück published a poetry book titled A Village Life.

2010: End of Term as Judge of Yale Series of Younger Poets

In 2010, Louise Glück concluded her service as the judge of the Yale Series of Younger Poets, a position she began in 2003.

2012: Publication of Poems: 1962-2012

In 2012, Louise Glück published a collection of a half-century's worth of her poems, entitled Poems: 1962–2012. It was considered a "literary event".

2012: Critic reviews Ararat

In 2012, The New York Times critic Dwight Garner called Louise Glück's 1990 book Ararat "the most brutal and sorrow-filled book of American poetry published in the last 25 years".

2014: Publication of Faithful and Virtuous Night

In 2014, Louise Glück published a poetry book titled Faithful and Virtuous Night.

2017: Publication of American Originality

In 2017, Louise Glück published a collection of essays, entitled American Originality.

2018: Death of Sister Tereze

In 2018, Louise Glück's younger sister, Tereze, passed away.

October 2020: Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature

In October 2020, Louise Glück was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. She was the sixteenth female literature laureate since the prize was founded.

2020: Nobel Prize in Literature

In 2020, Louise Glück won the Nobel Prize in Literature, recognized for "her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal".